TOOLKIT: Snohomish County Workforce Solutions Roundtable

Washington Hospitality members have made it clear that workforce development is one of the top issues facing employers in the state. The early 1990s were the last time that hospitality organizations encountered a similar drought in qualified workers for their restaurants and hotels. As a result, The Washington Hospitality Association Education Foundation has focused its efforts on developing career tracks both the present and future workforce and connecting employees with jobs.

Below is a compilation of the workforce solutions offered in Snohomish County during the roundtable. For employers looking to find qualified employees, from entry level to management, what you find below should be a great start!

Workforce Snohomish, in collaboration with Snohomish County and Economic Alliance Snohomish County, has been convening industry-focused employer roundtables to learn more about our region’s workforce and economic growth challenges. Tourism and Hospitality Employers met on January 25, 2017 and identified multiple issues that they are facing within their workforce.

The Workforce community partners listed below were convened on April 5, 2017 to help identify immediate solutions to the issues raised by the employers and can help businesses connect to current job seekers,graduates, and programs.Our goal is to proceed with convening both employers and partners to continue the conversations about addressing the workforce issues and identifying long-term solutions.

Workforce Issues Raised by the Tourism and Hospitality Employers andSolutions Identified by the Workforce Community Partners

Finding those with Hospitality and Customer Services

Edmonds Community College Hospitality and Tourism Program. To recruit from the nationally known training program, contact Anne Penny at 425.640.1694 or apenny@edcc.edu.

Edmonds Community College and Everett Community College both have their own career and job centers that support businesses and students. For more information, please contact Anne Penny at apenny@email.edcc.edu or 425-640-1694 or Jill Warton at jwarton@everettcc.edu.

Hopeworks / Housing Hope operates a retail training internship out of the Café Works & Renew Works The program has participants that would likely be interested in post internship opportunities. If interested in outreaching with them please contact Rachel Clifton at 425-903-4913 or Rachelclifton@housinghope.org.

Snohomish County YouthWorks is a new Snohomish STEM Network and Workforce Snohomish resource that connects employers to all youth who are interested in employer-driven internships, employment, career mentorships, job opportunities, and other resources. These connection opportunities support both the employers who are recruiting talent and the youth who are searching for work-based career pathway experiences. The partnerships include Cocoon House, Everett Community College and Log in now to http://www.snocoyouthworks.org/ to begin posting opportunities for youth. For more information, please contact Ton Nguyen at 425-921-3445

WorkSource Business Solutions works with businesses to assist with outreach and recruitment of skilled job seekers. They also hold recruiting job fairs and mini-hiring events across the county to further increase outreach of opportunities. If interested please contact Sam Samano at 425- 258-6388 or lsamano@esd.wa.gov.

com is a Monster-based statewide system that connects businesses to job seekers. Log in to https://www.worksourcewa.com/ to post any job openings. For more information, contact Sam Samano at 425-258-6388 or lsamano@esd.wa.gov or Michelle Wilson at 425-258-6362.

The WorkSource Youth Center (aged 16-24) in the Everett Train Station is always looking for opportunities to share career information with youth. For more information contact Robert Dingethal at Dingethal@rescare.com or 425-319-7969.

Retaining and Recruiting the Younger Generation

Career Connected Learning Funds STEM Programs that will provide internships within the field. For more information, please contact Nova Gattman the Legislative Director at 360-709- 4612.

City of Lynnwood hosts career nights that might be helpful to reaching out to the younger generation. For more information, please contact David Kleitsch at dkleitsch@lynnwoodwa.gov.

Cocoon House would work with a business to develop an internship. For more information, please contact Chelsea Monroe at 425.259.5802 x110 or at monroe@cocoonhouse.org

Everett Public Schools is looking for businesses to help partner with them to develop internships within the school curriculum. If your business would be interested in offering youth internships and /or giving guidance to the school to better develop a program that sets students up for success post high school, please contact Dana Riley Black at DrileyBlakc@everettsd.org.

Housing Hope’s EduPloyment has a Modeling of Success program that gets the employer involved with helping with soft skills training. Making it simple for employers to tap into the potential of the younger generation. For more information, please contact Rachel Clifton at RachelClifton@housinghope.org or 425-903-4913.

Snohomish County YouthWorks is a new Snohomish STEM Network and Workforce Snohomish resource that connects employers to all youth who are interested in employer-driven internships, employment, career mentorships, job opportunities, and other resources. These connection opportunities support both the employers who are recruiting talent and the youth who are searching for work-based career pathway experiences. The partnerships include Cocoon House, Everett Community College and Log in now to http://www.snocoyouthworks.org/ to begin posting opportunities for youth. For more information, please contact Ton Nguyen at 425-921-3445

Sno-Isle Tech Center is a cooperative effort of 14 local school districts. The purpose of each program is to provide students with skills that will prepare them for entry-level jobs after graduation from high school or for related post-high school education or training. For more information, please contact Theresa Hausmann at 425-348-2230 or at hausmannta@mukilteo.wednet.edu.

Young Professionals Network of Edmonds may be able to help business that engage with them. The Young Professionals Network is composed of individuals in their 20’s and 30’s who can be business owners, salesmen, business development staff, non-profits and even job seekers. The goal is to create an environment where young professionals can learn and grow their business and to also grow as an individual and a professional. They can be contacted at https://www.facebook.com/EdmondsYP/.

The Youth Center at WorkSource Everett located at the Everett train station provides coaching and mentorship for youths (16 – 24) to help close the gap with entry level placement and mentor on how to grow and move up with the company while developing a career pathway This can be done with career coaching, training, and understanding the success ladder. Training includes interpersonal communication, knowledge of how the work culture operates, interview skills. The center also offers on On-The-Job Training (OJT) and Work Experience (WEX) internships For more information on employing or offering an opportunity to a young adult graduate, contact Robert Dingethal at Dingethal@rescare.com or 425-319-7969 or Rachel Gehrmen

Youth Access to America Job Act – This bill requires the Department of Education to award grants to 10 eligible entities (partnerships among a local educational agency (LEA), a community college, and a state apprentice program or a joint-labor management training program) to carry out a program for students to: Enroll in and complete science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses, STEM-focused career and technical education courses, and other courses during grades 11 and 12 at a high school served by the LEA that prepares them for community college; enroll in a course of study related to a high-growth skills industry, an in- demand industry or occupation, the manufacturing field, or other vocational or career and technical education field at a community college upon graduating from such high school; and enroll, for a two-year period, in the eligible entity’s state apprenticeship program or the joint-labor management training program upon receiving an associate’s degree from such community college. If you would like more information please contact Congressman Larson office at 425- 252-3188 or at https://larsen.house.gov/contact-rick.

Mentorship, Apprentices, Internships, Vocational Training

Career Connected Learning Funds STEM Programs that will provide internships within the field. For more information, please contact Nova Gattman the Legislative Director at 360-709- 4612.

Compass Point can help provide internships and help companies develop their own For more information, please contact them at 510-318-3755 or at info@compasspoint.org.

Cocoon House would work with a business to develop an internship. For more information, please contact Chelsea Monroe at 425.259.5802 x110 or at monroe@cocoonhouse.org.

Edmonds Community College and Everett Community College both offer contract services for business training services. If a business is having trouble offering internships, the business services team can give training on implementing and offering a better work place environment for small businesses to use. Also both colleges have their own apprentice programs. For more information, please contact them Anne Penny at apenny@email.edcc.edu or 425-640-1694 or Miriam Zaragoza at mzaragosa@everettcc.edu.

Everett Public Schools is looking for business and industry partners to help develop a district- wide career connected learning program. If your place of work would be interested in offering youth internships and /or participating in other programs that guide students’ awareness of and engagement with regional career opportunities that set students up for post-high school success, please contact Dana Riley Black at DrileyBlack@everettsd.org.

GROW Washington helps Washington entrepreneurs become sustainable businesses. Through training and business consulting, GROW increases the capacity of start-up, product-based businesses. GROW facilitates marketing and networking opportunities that help micro-businesses in Washington increase their sales reach, as they actively work with fellow members to create brand awareness. GROW provides these services to members at an affordable cost so that all Washington businesses can GROW. For more information, please contact them at 425-293-8880.

Housing Hope offers CafeWorks, which is a coffee shop that provides job training for homeless and at-risk youth, ages 16-24. In partnership with Cocoon House, this barista training program teaches interns skills in the foodservice industry. This enables them to advance towards a living wage career. If you are interested in supporting or hiring from them please contact them at 425- 512-0343.

Housing Hope provides internships to individuals. If businesses are interested in providing internships or looking to find interns please contact Rachel Clifton at RachelClifton@housinghope.org or 425-903-4913.

Seattle U has an engineering program and has 26 sponsors to support industry projects. The training ranges from civil to mechanical engineering. For more information, please contact careerservices@seattleu.edu or 206- 296-6080.

SCORE can provide volunteer mentors who share their expertise across 62 industries and free, confidential business mentoring in person, via email or by video. If you would like more information please contact 1-800-634-0245.

Sno-Isle Tech Center is a cooperative effort of 14 local school districts. The purpose of each program is to provide students with skills that will prepare them for entry-level jobs after graduation from high school or for related post-high school education or training. For more information, please contact Theresa Hausmann at 425-348-2230 or

Workforce Snohomish has multiple programs that are looking for ways to develop and expand apprenticeships within Snohomish County. If your business is looking to recruit, expand, or develop an apprenticeship please contact Bill Gable at (425) 921-3448 or

Bilingual Employees

Edmonds Community College and Everett Community College both have within their Adult Basic Education section courses for English as a Second Language (ESL). These can be a great place to find workers that have bilingual skills. For more information, please contact Anne Penny at 425-640-1694 or at apenny@edcc.edu or Ryan Davis at 425-388-9212 or rydavis@everettcc.edu.

Goodwill offers ELL/ESOL classes and has English talk times. Both can be great resources to recruit bilingual skilled workers. For more information, contact Tania Siler atSiler@seattlegoodwill.org.

Refugee and Immigrant Services Northwest can assist in seeking individuals that have bilingual skills. For more information, please contact Van Kuno at 425-388-9312 or

The Cascades Job Corps College & Career Academy is a tuition-free training and education program that will connect you with the skills and educational opportunities you need to establish a real career. For more information, contact https://cascadesjobcorpscca.com/.

Edmonds Community College has a Career Action Center that offers workshops on interviewing and soft skills training. If you would like more information please contact Anne Penny at apenny@email.edcc.edu or 425-640-1694.

Edmonds Community College in partnership with Housing Hope provides Transitional Life Skills, which is a two-week course that trains individuals on dealing with change, time management, goal setting, and workplace strategies. For more information about their graduates, please contact Jan Strand at jstrand@edcc.edu or 425-640-1008.

Everett Community College offers multiple interviewing and soft/basic skills workshops. They also have job fairs that offer interview preparation on main campus and site visits to companies to talk with their HR personnel about the issues they are facing. If interested please contact Jon Bonner at Jbonner@everettcc.edu or Tiffany Williams at tidwilliams@everettcc.edu.

Everett Public Schools is committed to assuring that students graduate with college, career and life ready skills, including a framework for 21st century skills. This framework will guide teaching and instruction. To learn more about the framework, or to guide educators in developing real- world application of 21st century skills, please contact Dana Riley Black

Goodwill offers courses on Work Readiness, Succeeding on the Job and Social Etiquette workshops & classes targeted at improving an individual’s professional communication and other soft skills. For more information, please contact Tania Siler at siler@seattlegoodwill.org or 360-657-4418.

WorkSource Everett, Lynwood and Monroe offer on and off-site workshops and one-on-one guidance on how to interview, develop customer service skills, expectations within a work culture and other soft skills training. They offer a program called Work Experience which is designed to provide workers with a third-party paid on the job experience. Employers do not risk losing their investment in wages during the program since the participants are paid for by another

organization. The program allows the business to have the participants for 90 hours, which helps them determine if the individual is right for their business before hiring them. If you would like more information on training or graduates, please contact Sam Samano

The Youth Center at WorkSource Everett located at the Everett train station provides coaching and mentorship for youths (16 – 24) to help close the gap with entry level placement and mentor on how to grow and move up with the company while developing a career pathway This can be done with career coaching, training, and understanding the success ladder. Training includes interpersonal communication, knowledge of how the work culture operates, interview skills. The center also offers on On-The-Job Training (OJT) and Work Experience (WEX) internships For more information on employing or offering an opportunity to a young adult graduate, contact Robert Dingethal at Dingethal@rescare.com or 425-319-7969 or Rachel Gehrmen

Industry News

Recent

Events

The James Beard Foundation released its long list of semifinalists for its prestigious Restaurant and Chef Awards Thursday. The chefs, restaurateurs, restaurants and beverage professionals were selected from more than 20,000 online entries as well as from national and regional panels comprised of food and beverage writers and editors and past Beard Award winners. (Restaurant Hospitality)

Four of Union Square Hospitality Group’s newest restaurants and one Shake Shack location have gone cashless, a growing trend that comes with a learning curve for some customers. Only about 11% of US consumers prefer to pay for purchases with cash, according to credit card services firm TSYS, and operators say cash-free concepts allow staffers to focus on service. (Eater)

Supermarket operator Kroger has launched a Culinary Innovation Center in Cincinnati to focus on prepared food innovation and position itself as part of the restaurant industry. In-store restaurants were on track to grow 3.5% in 2017 and book sales of about $42.3 billion, according to an NRA report released last year. (WCPO-TV)

René started his career in hospitality at the age of 15 as a cook at a hotel in Zurich, Switzerland. Moving to Toronto (without even knowing English) and eventually to Seattle, Renaissance Seattle General Manager René Neidhart has been in hotel management for over two decades in Seattle. (Greater Seattle Business Association)

Each month, members of the Seattle Restaurant Alliance meet for industry updates, presentations on a hot topic and a discussion on a trending topic or best practices. Meetings are also a great place to strengthen your connection to fellow restaurateurs. All Seattle restaurant owners and managers are welcome.